Tabloid Romance
by Magnificent Meow
Summary: Shu x Ryu - UPDATED! I finally wrote the prequel/sequel to this story. Shuichi and Ryuichi explore some inner desires for the first time...
1. Part 1

Disclaimer: Mags Meow does not own Gravitation or anything associated with it.  
  
  
  
Note: Please note that this story makes no mention of Yuki. None. Nothing. No reference whatsoever. Please don't ask what happened to him, he's just not there.  
  
************  
  
"This is going to be another long day at the studio," Hiro sighed.  
  
  
  
The day had barely began, but already Hiro could tell things weren't going to go well. Shuichi had been late, as usual, and the song that the pink haired one had been working on for the past two weeks was still far from completion. He sipped at his glass of iced tea and watched his friend mull over the lyrics. Shuichi didn't look like he was about to write a song. He wasn't even holding the pen.  
  
  
  
"Shuichi," Hiro began, a hint of frustration in his voice. "You are the slowest songwriter in the world."  
  
  
  
Shuichi made no response.  
  
  
  
"Shuichi." Hiro waved his hand in front of Shuichi's glossed orbs. "Shuuu.iii..chiii."  
  
  
  
Not even a twitch. Hiro sighed. "Yep. Definitely a long day ahead." The auburn haired boy leaned back in his chair.  
  
  
  
Hiro barely had enough time to get comfortable when suddenly the mass of pink hair opposite from him gave in to gravity and sprawled across the wooden surface with a thud. Hiro leapt at the sound and stared as his friend moved for the first time in about an hour.  
  
  
  
"OWWWWWWWWW," Shuichi cried. "That hurt!" he said, rubbing his forehead.  
  
  
  
Even with widened eyes, Hiro couldn't believe the sight in front of him. "Shuichi, at this rate you're going to destroy yourself trying to write that song. There's no point in forcing it, take a break," he said, waving his hands towards the door in hopes that Shuichi would understand.  
  
  
  
"Hiro," Shuichi looked confused. "When did you get here?"  
  
  
  
Hiro nearly fell to the floor. "I've been here ever since you have, baka!"  
  
  
  
Shuichi smiled his cutest smile and shut his eyes. "I guess I didn't notice."  
  
  
  
Hiro could only shake his head. "Maybe you should have stayed in bed longer."  
  
  
  
***************  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, K and Sakano stood before a large desk where a small, disarming looking blond man named Touma was positioned. Clearly the one in charge, he sat in silence reading over what appeared to be a magazine article, but his eyes showed much concern.  
  
  
  
Breaking the silence he spoke in a low voice. "It looks like we have a situation here."  
  
  
  
K nodded quietly at Touma's words but Sakano wasn't taking things so lightly. The black haired man who was dressed neatly in a dark business suit was going insane. It was nothing much different than his usual self though. Sakano never was very stable.  
  
  
  
"Waah! What are we going to do?" he cried, running in circles as tears streamed down his cheeks. "This is awful! We're not ready to deal with something like this. We're finished! This is going to ruin Bad Luck forever!"  
  
  
  
Tired of the wailing, a not amused K grabbed the smaller man by the collar and stuffed him on to a chair. It might not stop the man from crying, but at least it would keep him from moving. Speaking now, K adopted a pleasant voice in his attempt to calm the other man down. "No publicity is bad publicity, right? Everything will be fine."  
  
  
  
Touma nodded from behind his desk. "There is still part of me that worries though, K. We need to discuss things with Ryuichi and Shuichi before we make our first move. Call them into my office."  
  
*****************  
  
Shuichi stepped out of the small room and walked over to the vending machine. "I think I need something to wake me up," he muttered. "I'm so tired." After putting his change in the little slot he pushed the button for his desired drink and, like magic, a small can found it's way to Shuichi's hand. Shuichi opened the container and took a deep breath, but he didn't even have a moment to taste the dark liquid that it held.  
  
  
  
"Shuuuuuuuuuuuuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiichiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"  
  
  
  
Something had clung to Shuichi, and it wasn't just the soda which had spilled all over his shirt.  
  
  
  
"OH NO! I'm SOOOOOOOOOOO sorry! I didn't mean to make you spill, will you pretty please forgive Ryuichi?"  
  
  
  
Two big round tearful eyes looked up into Shuichi's expecting the younger boy to be upset, but the pink haired singer just smiled. "Ryuichi, you really have to stop springing on me like that. And what's with the puppy eyes? You didn't really think I'd be mad did you?" Shuichi mused.  
  
  
  
An overwhelmingly hyper Ryuichi replied, "No!" and smiled a huge smile. Ryuichi never failed to brighten a dull moment.  
  
  
  
Hopping around like an energetic puppy, the lead singer of Nittle Grasper pawed at Shuichi's clothes. "Ryuichi was told to get Shuichi! Touma has news for us both so we have to go to his office." He paused as a slightly more serious look crossed his face, indicating that this presidential visit might not be a good thing.  
  
  
  
Shuichi nodded, recognizing the look of caution in his friend's eyes, and followed him down the hall.  
  
  
  
**************  
  
  
  
"WHAT?!" Shuichi cried. "But that's not even true! How could they print that?!" The pink haired boy questioned in alarm, arms flailing at his sides.  
  
  
  
A large eyed Ryuichi thought it over for a moment. "Well, tabloids are the workings of evil geniuses out to destroy the world. They can do anything." He smiled, seemingly amused by the accusations being thrown at them.  
  
  
  
"Ryuichi, how can you stay so calm? They just accused us, US - AS IN YOU AND ME, of. of." he trailed off.  
  
  
  
Touma interrupted Shuichi's frustrated gestures. "Shuichi, Ryuichi has had much more experience with tabloid garbage than you have. In time you'll be accustomed to media bombardment over false allegations, but for now we need to deal with the situation at hand. We will hold a press conference this afternoon at three thirty to deal with the claims, and you two will set the record straight."  
  
  
  
The singers nodded at the president's words and turned to leave. Outside the office Shuichi stared at his friend.  
  
  
  
"Ryuichi, what do we do?"  
  
  
  
Ryuichi didn't seem to be in the mood for a media extravaganza either, that much was obvious, but he smiled anyway.  
  
  
  
"Don't worry, Shuichi! Ryuichi will take care of everything." He patted the smaller boy's shoulder, somehow proving to Shuichi that he had meant his words. "I'll see you at three thirty." With that, Ryuichi left, but not before giving a quick wink to his pink haired friend.  
  
***************  
  
Hiro found Shuichi banging his head lightly against the wall of the small room they had been in earlier.  
  
  
  
"What is it with you and your forehead today?" he joked, hoping for a reaction.  
  
  
  
"HIIROO." Shuichi howled. "I'm having a bad day." The presence of his friend did nothing to stop Shuichi from his previous, but unnecessary, activity of forehead banging. It took Hiro a fair bit of strength to pull the singer away from the wall.  
  
  
  
"Banging your head won't do you any good," Hiro replied in a steady voice, "if you keep doing that you'll lose your mind."  
  
  
  
Shuichi looked up at the boy with long auburn hair with oversized puppy dog eyes. "Why are they so cruel Hiro? I didn't do anything. Even the picture is a fake!" Shuichi continued his rant, but not with words, more like incoherent sounds and mild sobbing. Hiro picked the smaller one up, stood him on his feet and looked him in the eye, or at least he tried to. Shuichi was dazed. Again.  
  
  
  
"Well," he said, "it's not like it's true, is it?"  
  
  
  
Shuichi looked up.  
  
  
  
************  
  
  
  
The air in the conference room was cool, Ryuichi could feel it when he walked in.  
  
  
  
"Brrr, I'm gonna need a blanket!" He took his seat.  
  
  
  
Shuichi entered not too long after, and sat down beside his friend. They turned away from the microphones and spoke a few words before addressing the restless crowd of journalists and photographers.  
  
  
  
Ryuichi, much to Shuichi's appreciation, began.  
  
  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have called you here today to discuss a recent bit of gossip that has been going around. That of course being the idea that Shuichi Shindo, lead singer of Bad Luck, and myself, Ryuichi Sakuma, lead singer of Nittle Grasper, are lovers." He paused looking at the crowd.  
  
  
  
Ryuichi continued. "Well, I hate to inform all of you, but it isn't true. Shuichi and I are just friends who have been the bait for some sort of media scandal."  
  
  
  
The crowd hummed over Ryuichi's words. Shuichi sat and stared blankly before realizing that a hand was pulling him away.  
  
  
  
"Ryuichi?" he asked. "Don't you want to answer their questions?"  
  
  
  
Ryuichi said nothing and kept moving, pulling Shuichi all the while.  
  
  
  
Finally away from the media, the two boys stopped. "We don't have to answer them, Shuichi, we gave them what they wanted to know." He spoke with a smile on his face and pulled Shuichi into a private lounge. "Besides," he continued. "I was having trouble keeping a straight face."  
  
  
  
Shuichi smiled and wrapped his arms around Ryuichi. "After all this acting we've been doing I was beginning to think you forgot that I was your lover."  
  
  
  
"You're not my lover, Shuichi," the older man grinned. "We haven't gone that far yet," he said with a flirtatious wink. Ryuichi leaned over and passionately kissed the pink haired boy on the lips. "And I'm not planning to tell anyone just yet. No one needs to know for now. We'll keep our romance for the tabloids, at least no one will believe it there."  
  
  
  
End. I haven't decided if I should continue this or not. Feel free to add your thoughts! 


	2. Part 2

Disclaimer: Gravitation is owned by some very fantastic people with creative minds. I wasn't there that day so it's not mine. (kidding - but it's still not mine)  
  
Thanks to everyone who pushed me to continue this and left wonderful comments. I know it only took me a year.. T_T Enjoy!  
  
Tabloid Romance 2 - The Prequel/Sequel  
  
***************  
  
Shuichi Shindou sat upon a small chair waiting patiently outside of Tohma Seguchi's office. His legs dangled nervously beneath the seat, his back was straight and tense, and his mind was drifting into nothingness, though it often did, so that was really nothing new. His hands were clasped tightly in his lap, fingernails nearly digging into the soft flesh of the palms, and his blue eyes met the floor as if they were the best of friends, tracing along the patterns of the checkered tiles, concerning themselves with the bits of dust that scattered along the edges. He mumbled, barely loud enough to hear, "I thought the janitors would be more thorough than that."  
  
The words sounded sort of silly, but he had to say them out loud because the silence was driving him crazy. It wasn't pure silence, nothing like the quiet of the night when you're huddled in bed; after all, he could hear mumbling through the door. Instead the quiet was more like a continual drone; a slow torture. There was nothing to keep the pink haired singer occupied as he waited. If he could make out the words of the people in Tohma's office it might be more interesting, maybe his mind wouldn't drift off so much, but straining to listen just made it worse.  
  
Shuichi sighed and leaned back, hoping to relax his stiff muscles. Once again his eyes met an old friend. The ceiling had become only too familiar for him since he and Bad Luck had began their music career. Shuichi could remember many of those frustrating nights where he would be in a situation much like the one he was in now. Well. Not like the one he was in now. This situation was special.  
  
He groaned as his stomach filled with butterflies.  
  
This is silly, he thought. "I'm not even here to see Tohma. I'm just waiting. I'm just waiting for them to come out because Ryuichi offered to take me out to dinner. A celebratory dinner. Nothing more."  
  
His palms began to sweat.  
  
Shuichi leaned forward again, resting his head upon his hands and unconsciously tapping his foot on the floor. He tried to focus his thoughts on something normal, something comforting, something...sane.  
  
Instead he reminisced.  
  
It had all began a couple of months ago. He could remember the exact moment too, the exact moment when he had fallen for....  
  
Shuichi shook his head. Nooo. That's not true. It's not that bad. He thought about it once more. Ryuichi was with him, talking, as usual, about the strangest of things. Kumagorou was being tossed in the air like a rag doll, and Shuichi wasn't paying much attention.  
  
"Of course I wasn't, I was thinking about Yuki," he muttered aloud, completing the thought.  
  
Yuki. Yeah. He was thinking about Yuki and how wonderful he is, and how good looking he is, and how sexy he is, and then...  
  
Then there had been one thought that tripped him up for two whole months. One thought that snowballed into something completely out of proportion and extremely stupid. What was it again? He racked his mind.  
  
Oh, it didn't matter now. What mattered was that it was a silly idea and it was best to forget about it. If only he could...  
  
Suddenly the office door swung open and two friends came out smiling and laughing. Shuichi broke from his daze.  
  
"That was the best time!" Ryuichi smirked. "I remember the look on your face, you were so out of it!"  
  
Tohma chuckled lightly, hoping to hide his embarrassment. "Let's not do that again, okay? I don't want that getting to the press," he said smiling.  
  
The two had been so preoccupied with each other that both failed to notice the suddenly shy young man sitting in front of them. Shuichi stood up from his seat, hoping to catch their attention.  
  
"Ah, Shuichi!" Tohma called. "Bad Luck has been very busy lately, I hope you've found some time to relax."  
  
Worried that a butterfly would fly from his mouth if he spoke, Shuichi chose to nod with a slight smile instead.  
  
"Good," Tohma beamed. "I hope you and Ryuichi have a good dinner tonight. I'm sorry I can't join you."  
  
This time Ryuichi spoke up, saving Shuichi from filling the hall with the winged beasts. "That's okay Tohma! Shuichi and I will have lots of fun, na no da!"  
  
Ryuichi was always full of happiness. Shuichi couldn't help but grin as his friend waved goodbye to the president with his small pink bunny. That happiness was one of the reasons Shuichi couldn't let go of his new found fantasies. Oh how he wanted someone to enjoy life with! Yuki barely even smiled at him! He looked down as Ryuichi tugged on his sleeve.  
  
"C'mon Shuichi! Let's get going. I'm starved!" Ryuichi cried out. The pink haired boy barely even had time to consent when within moments Ryuichi was dashing down the hallway towards the exit towing a surprised Shuichi with him.  
  
******  
  
Dinner had been just what Shuichi needed to relax. There was nothing quite like a delicious feast to settle the nerves and clear the mind. Ryuichi had been as entertaining as usual, rambling on forever when Shuichi asked about Nittle Grasper's rise to fame. Thanks to that, Shuichi had nearly forgotten that he had developed a crush on his long time idol. If it weren't for the fact that he had to look at him, well, then it would just be perfect.  
  
Ryuichi was finishing up another tale. This one about the time Kumagorou went missing prior to a concert and every person in the backstage vicinity went searching for the kidnapper. Shuichi giggled at Ryuichi's crazed body movements as he told the story. He was so cute when he got that way...  
  
"And then they found a mysterious bag! And the security guard opened it up, and Kumagorou was there! I was so happy, and then we realized that it was my bag, na no da! I forgot that Tohma bought me a new one."  
  
Shuichi couldn't hold in his laughter, and Ryuichi blushed knowing full well that Shuichi was lauging at his own mistake, but Shuichi had seemed so down.  
  
"Ne, Shuichi, do you have any funny stories to tell?" Ryuichi asked as he took a sip of his tea.  
  
The pink haired boy thought for a moment. "Not really. I haven't done anything fun in awhile."  
  
Ryuichi gaped, leaving Shuichi to wonder if he said something wrong. "No fun? But doesn't Eiri-san take you places?"  
  
"Well, yeah..." Shuichi muttered hoping to continue, but he didn't get to finish the sentence before the idol chimed in once more.  
  
"The arcade?"  
  
"No..."  
  
"The bowling alley?"  
  
"No..."  
  
"Funky Bob's Super Happy Fun Land?"  
  
"Uh...no..."  
  
"He took you to the amusement park that one time, right?"  
  
The younger boy rested his head on his hand. "That was ages ago...and he left without me." Shuichi frowned at the thought. "Besides Yuki's always busy writing. He doesn't have time to take me places."  
  
Ryuichi didn't look nearly as convinced as Shuichi. "Yuki should at least treat you out sometimes, ne? At any rate, if he won't I will! Let's go somewhere tonight!"  
  
Shuichi grinned and tried not to let his rosy cheeks show. Ryuichi wanted to go out with him! Er...wait, that didn't come out right. Ryuichi wanted to...be nice? Show Shuichi a good time? In other words Ryuichi wanted to be what Yuki wasn't. Shuichi sighed. Is this why he had fallen for his idol?  
  
********  
  
The view of the city was spectacular. Bright lights filled the horizon as far as the eye could see. The night air was mild and warm, and people all around were smiling and having fun. Ryuichi and Shuichi were practically floating at the top of the ferris wheel, with a stuffed pink bunny smushed between them. As he had suggested earlier, Ryuichi had taken his friend to the amusement park, and Shuichi hadn't felt this carefree in years.  
  
Shuichi smiled as he looked at his companion. "You really don't let people down, do you Ryuichi?"  
  
Ryuichi looked up and blinked. "Huh?"  
  
"Nothing," Shuichi mumbled with a smile. He didn't want to wreck the moment. He was really beginning to feel more for his friend. After spending this short night with Ryuichi, he was starting to see that being with Yuki was a one sided relationship. He cared about Yuki, that was for sure, but Ryuichi was so good to him, and he was close...so tantalizingly close...  
  
Again Ryuichi looked at the other singer as if responding to Shuichi's thoughts and immediately Shuichi looked down at his hands, avoiding any eye contact. He couldn't make this situation worse. He shouldn't. He didn't want to hurt Yuki. But Yuki...did Yuki even care?  
  
Ryuichi grinned, trying to make his friend happy, but he wasn't expecting what was coming.  
  
"Ne..." Shuichi began, "what do you do when you're with someone, but you're not sure if that's the right person for you?"  
  
There was silence as two large orbs stared back at Shuichi. "Are you talking about Yuki?"  
  
A frown stretched across Shuichi's face. "I like Yuki...but...I have feelings for someone else. Someone who treats me better, and cares about me...."  
  
Ryuichi blinked this time, thinking over such a heavy question. "Maybe we should talk about this in private. Let's go someplace quiet."  
  
********  
  
Shuichi didn't realize how nice it was to be away from the crowds until the pair had left and found seclusion in a darkened park. Ryuichi plopped down on the grass with Kumagorou right beside him, and Shuichi took a spot across from the duo.  
  
"I don't know what to do, Ryuichi. I've felt this way for awhile now and it's not going away."  
  
The older boy could barely hear Shuichi's soft mutterings, but he was pretty sure he could make it out. "Maybe you should tell Yuki how you feel. If he knows you're unhappy he might ease up."  
  
Shuichi nodded considering the words. "But, I don't like to just hide these feelings. It hurts."  
  
Ryuichi leaned back and looked up at the stars, his hair flopping into a mess over the grass. "I have a crush on someone too, but I'm not allowed to do anything because that person is already with someone."  
  
"Really?" Shuichi asked, glad that his friend sort of knew how he felt. "But doesn't it bother you?"  
  
A quiet "uh huh" came from Ryuichi's lips. "I know you're with Yuki, but..." He stopped, realizing that he had said a bit more than he wanted. Instead he just hoped Shuichi wouldn't notice. He didn't seem to.  
  
Shuichi was silent for a moment. "Ryuichi?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"You...really do know how I feel...don't you..."  
  
Ryuichi didn't respond. He pushed himself up from the lumpy ground and shook the dry grass from his hair. When his vision cleared, he saw two glossy eyes staring into his own.  
  
"Shuichi?"  
  
This time it was Shuichi who said nothing. The pink haired boy moved closer to Ryuichi and pressed his lips against his friend's. To his surprise, Ryuichi made no move to stop the gentle kiss from taking it's course and he let out a small gasp as Shuichi finally pulled away.  
  
It was too dark to see the colour of their cheeks, but both boys were quite sure they were blushing.  
  
Shuichi was the first to speak. "I.. I know this probably isn't the best...but can I, can I just..."  
  
Ryuichi nodded as Shuichi leaned in for another of the sweet kisses, this one more full and passionate than the last. Their tongues mingled and danced as the moon and stars provided the only light to their escapade. Ryuichi fell back to the ground as Shuichi rose above him, giving him more warm, loving embraces. When they finally finished tasting each other, they were both gasping for more.  
  
Again, it was Shuichi who spoke. "Please don't tell anyone. Please..."  
  
All Ryuichi could say was "I won't tell if you won't tell..."  
  
The pink haired one smiled as he pulled more grass from Ryuichi's hair. "I know it's wrong, but I want to be with you. I've never felt so cared about..."  
  
Pulling himself up once more, Ryuichi softly kissed Shuichi's cheek and whispered. "Shuichi...will you...I mean, you don't have to and all, but...," he took a deep breath, "would you come out with me again tomorrow? If you want to, that is..."  
  
Shuichi smiled and held his new found love. "I don't think I could resist."  
  
********  
  
Fin. Not too corny, just simple and sweet. Hope it was somewhat enjoyable. -Mags 


End file.
